Michigan Head Coach Brady Hoke surprised the Reed family with a phone call earlier yesterday, inviting them to attend this year’s Ohio State-Michigan game in Ann Arbor as personal guests of the university.

The Buckeyes, fresh off of a 12-0 season under Head Coach Urban Meyer, are the favorite to win the Big Ten title and are viewed as contenders for the BCS National Championship. The Wolverines will look to bounce back after a close loss to 11th-ranked South Carolina in last year’s Outback Bowl and are also favorites to contend for a conference title.

And when the two teams meet in the final week of the season, with title hopes on the line, Grant, along with his father Troy, mother Denise, and younger brother Collin, 9, will be there to lead the charge.

But for Troy, this experience has changed the rivalry in a way that transcends far beyond football.

“It has restored my faith in people. Just the messages and the prayers,” he said. “I work as a firefighter paramedic, and sometimes we encounter stuff that’s not that great to see. You start thinking the worst of people. So this has been a good revitalization for me.”

Michigan’s efforts in reaching out to the Reed family show just how special this rivalry is, and highlights the inseparable bond shared by these two fan bases.

“I’ve been brought up a diehard Buckeye, and I’ve gotta say that Coach Hoke is making it pretty tough to keep disliking the team up north because he has been such a class act,” Troy said.

“But on game day, we won’t have any trouble cheering for the Buckeyes.”